The value of an antique firearm, like any commodity, is a
function of supply and demand. The more scarce the item and
greater collector interest, the greater the value. The first step
in determining the value is to properly identify the model and any
significant variations or features. Once the firearm is properly
identified, it is necessary to access the overall condition of the
firearm. While this may seem somewhat subjective, definitive
guidelines for grading antique firearms are available. An
excellent resource for identifying American made antique firearms
and determining their values is Flayderman's Guide to Antique
American Firearms. This book is available from Dixie (stock #BO0545).
Another source for valuing more modern firearms is The Blue Book of Gun Values by S.P. Fjestad (stock #BO1082). Another method of valuing your firearm is to
visit local gun shows.
Most dealers will be willing to offer advice and you
can shop the tables for comparable models and check their prices.
We receive a number of calls asking this question and it is
virtually impossible to make an accurate appraisal with out
physically inspecting the firearm. Dixie offers an appraisal
service. If you are interested in having your antique firearms
appraised, please contact us.

FACTORY NEW: All original parts, 100% original
finish, and in perfect condition in every respect, inside and
out.EXCELLENT: All original parts, over 80% of the
original finish. Sharp lettering, numerals, and design on metal
and wood. Unmarred wood. Fine bore.FINE: All original
parts, over 30% of the original finish. Sharp lettering,
numerals, and design on metal and wood. Minor marks in wood.
Good bore.VERY GOOD: All original parts. None to 30%
of the original finish. Original metal surfaces smooth with all
edges sharp. Clear lettering, numerals, and disregarded for
collector's firearms.GOOD: Some minor replacement
parts. Metal smoothly rusted or lightly pitted in places.
Cleaned or reblued. Principle lettering, numerals, and design on
metal partly obliterated. Wood scratched, bruised, cracked, or
repaired where broken. In fair working order or can be easily
repaired where broken.POOR: Major and minor parts
replaced. Major replacement parts required and restoration
needed. Metal deeply pitted. Principle lettering, numerals, and
design obiliterated. Wood badly scratched, bruised, cracked, or
broken. Mechanically inoperative. Generally undesirable as a
collector firearm.

We recommend that you have any old firearm thoroughly inspected
by a professional gunsmith to determine if it is safe to shoot.
Antique firearms offered by Dixie are sold as collector items
only. Dixie does not imply nor express any warranty for their use
in shooting.

The Dixie catalog features thousands of parts for many guns but
no company can offer all parts for every gun that was ever made.
The index in the back of the catalog offers a listing of the guns
that we stock parts for. If you do not know the proper
identification of your gun or the part you may send the part or a
drawing and we sill try to match something that you can use.

An antique gun's original finish and patina are of paramount
importance to the firearm collector. The value of many an antique
firearm has been destroyed by over cleaning and/or refinishing.
The only cleaning we recommend is to use oil and extra fine or
super fine steel wool (#000 or #0000) and lightly rub the metal
surfaces. This should remove surface grim while not harming the
finish or patina.

Muzzleloaders, by virtue of the fact that they do not fire
fixed ammunition, are considered antique firearms under The Gun
Control Act of 1968 and are not restricted in trade by any federal
law or regulation. This applies to both antique and new made
muzzleloaders. There may be state or local ordinances which
restrict our ability to ship direct to the customer. Residents of
HI, NJ, MA and MI are urged to check their state and local laws
for any restrictions on ordering black powder firearms. Dixie's
black powder cartridge guns can only be shipped to a federally
licensed dealer. In order to ship to the dealer, we must have a
signed copy of the dealer's Federal Firearms License on file. If
you are interested in ordering an FFL gun you should make
arrangements with a local dealer to take delivery. This is a
common practice and the dealer will usually charge only a nominal
fee to complete the transfer.

CARTRIDGE -- used for loading black powder cartridges,FFFFG
-- finest granulation, used for priming flintlocks,FFFG --
used in black powder pistols, cap and ball revolvers and
muzzleloading rifles of 45 caliber and smaller,FFG -- used in
muzzleloading rifles larger than 45 caliber,FG -- used in
large bore shotguns (8 gauge or larger) and cannons.

Chain firing occurs when the fire from the revolver chamber
being fired ingnites the charges in surrounding chambers. This can
be an unnerving and potentially dangerous occurrence. The use of
over-sized balls in loading the revolver lessens the chance of
chain firing to a certain degree. However, to completely seal the
chambers we recommend the use of a wad or sealing with a thin
layer of lube after the ball is loaded. Wonder Wads, which are
pre-lubed work well, as does Hogdon's Spit Ball. These products,
which are available from Dixie, not only act to seal the chambers,
but also help to reduce fouling.

It is not uncommon for percussion caps to fit loosely on the
nipple. This can be remedied by trying a smaller size percussion
cap such as a #10 (smaller than #11) or pinching the caps to
achieve a tight fit.

Modern factory loads using smokeless powder are loaded to the
same pressure as the original black powder cartridges and are safe
to shoot in Dixie's reproduction black powder cartridge guns. We
do not recommend the use of handloaded ammunition using smokeless
powder.

The short answer is to adhere to the manufacturer's
recommendation for maximum load for your particular muzzleloader.
However, this information is not always readily available. From a
practical standpoint this becomes a moot question. Increasing the
powder charge to near maximum levels will lead to diminishing
returns on the efficiency of the load, as you will experience
significant increases in pressure with only marginal gains in
velocity with an adverse effect on accuracy. As a general rule, a
good target load can be established by starting with a grain
weight charge equal to rifle's caliber ( eg 50 grains of FFG for a
50 caliber rifle). To find an efficient hunting charge, increase
the charge in 5 grain increments to the point where accuracy is
acceptable for your hunting situation. Generally, this should be
limited to 30 percent greater than the most efficient target load.

Due to the extremely corrosive nature of black powder, diligent
cleaning is a necessary part of the muzzleloading experience. Your
objective in cleaning should be to remove all black powder residue
from the barrel and other metal surfaces and to protect the
firearm from corrosion. If you are shooting your muzzleloader on a
regular basis, we recommend the following cleaning regiment after
each shooting session: scrub the bore with a brass brush and
solvent soaked patches (until patches come out clean) and wipe
down all metal surfaces. Then using clean patches wipe the bore
and all metal parts dry. Apply oil (lightly) to the bore and metal
parts, wood can also be wiped down with oil (lightly). If the
muzzleloader is not going to be fired for an extended period of
time, we recommend a more thorough cleaning. This can be
accomplished by first removing the barrel and placing the breech
end in a bucket of hot soapy water. Then using a wet patch over
the cleaning jag, pump the cleaning rod up and down, drawing the
water into the barrel and flushing it out. Rinse the barrel with
hot water to aid in the drying process. Using a solvent, remove
any residue from the lock and stock. Wipe down the entire gun with
a good oil or moisture displacing lubricant. Reassemble the
firearm and store safely. It should be noted that these cleaning
instructions apply for the use of black powder and Pyrodex.

There are certain items which are necessary for shooting and
maintaining your muzzleloading firearm. The basic requirements are
black powder ( or replica black powder), percussion caps or
flints, adjustable powder measure, projectiles, patch material,
short starter, lubricant, ramrod, cleaning jag, solvent and gun
oil. In addition to these basic required items, there are certain
accessories that can enhance the muzzleloading experience. These
items include powder horn or flask, patch knife, nipple pick,
holster or leather gun case, nipple wrench, loading block, speed
loaders, possibles bag, bullet bag, patch worm, cleaning rod and
bullet casting equipment. Dixie offers a full line of these basic
items and accessories as well as pre-packaged starter kits with
all you will need to get started.

Kit guns offer the muzzleloader the opportunity to participate
in the building, customizing and eventually shooting of their own
firearm. Dixie currently offers over 60 kit guns including cap and
ball revolvers, pistols, Kentucky , Jaeger and Hawken style
rifles, military longarms, trade guns and shotguns. We offer kits
at the beginner, intermediate and advanced level. Kits in the
beginner and intermediate levels are 95% inletted, require minor
fitting of metal parts and sanding and finishing of the stock.
Intermediate level kits also require polishing and bluing or
browning of metal parts. Advanced level kits will also require
some stock inletting. Dixie has all of the tools and materials you
would need to complete any kit or to build a muzzleloader from
scratch.

Dixie has a very limited selection of previously owned
muzzleloaders for sale (usually less than 10). These are offered
for sale in our showroom and occasionally at re-enactments. As a
general rule, Dixie is not interested in purchasing used
muzzleloaders.

Dixie currently offers our Tennessee Mountain Rifle in 50
caliber, flint or percussion, finished or kit form in left-hand
versions. In addition, we offer a left-hand version of the Hawken
rifle. This gun is a 50 caliber flintlock and is available in kit
form as well as completed. We also have from time to time a
limited selection of left-hand custom built rifles.

The proper sequence for loading a muzzleloading shotgun is as
follows:

black powder

over-powder (heavy card) wad

fiber cushion wad

optional shot (thin card) wad

shot

over-shot wad

Recommended loads are as follows: 20 gauge -- 65
grains of FFG black powder and 1 ounce of shot, 12 gauge -- 75
grains of FFG black powder and 1 1/8 ounces of shot, and 10 gauge
-- 85 grains of FFG black powder and 1 1/4 ounces of shot. Dixie
stocks all of the wads needed in assorted gauges. Muzzleloading
shotguns can be loaded with patched round balls as well as shot.
We recommend using a .600 round ball for the 20 gauge, a .715
round ball for the 12 gauge and a .760 round ball for the 10
gauge.

On the Henry rifle, cartridges are fed into the action by the
spring loaded magazine tube located under the barrel. In order to
load the magazine tube, hold the gun upright with the barrel
facing away from you and push the brass magazine tube follower up
as far as possible. This should allow you to rotate the top
portion of the magazine tube and barrel clockwise about 45
degrees. Cartridges can then be loaded into the magazine tube and
the tube then rotated back into place. The most often encountered
problem is in not pushing the brass follower far enough up to
disengage the tube.

Sighting-in should always be done with a bench rest. Be
prepared to vary powder charges and patch and ball combinations to
obtain best accuracy. If your gun shoots low, file the front sight
down. This will raise the muzzle. If you are shooting high, use a
higher front sight or file the notch in the rear sight deeper. If
the gun shoots to the right, move the front sight to the right or
the rear sight to the left. Conversely, if the gun shoots to the
left, move the front sight to the left or the rear sight to the
right. File or move the sights a little at a time, shooting often
to check for progress. Pistols or revolvers require lesser
adjustments because the sights are so close together.

Accuracy in muzzleloading is determined by the individual and
combined characteristics of the firearm, the load and the shooter.
Obtaining accuracy can be as much an art as a science.
Muzzleloaders are capable of producing surprising accurracy, and,
the average shooter with a production muzzleloader should be able
to obtain the following results:

When sighting in a new muzzleloader, shooting should
be done with a bench rest to obtain best accuracy and to build
confidence in the guns ability before shooting offhand. Finding
the most accurate load for your muzzleloader will require a fair
amount of shooting, but the results will justify the effort.

The method of rifling the barrel will have a profound impact on
the accuracy of the muzzleloader. The rate of twist of the rifling
will determine the proper type of projectile. For slow twist
barrels (1 turn in 56 to 72 inches) use a patched round ball. For
fast twist barrels (1 turn in 16 to 28 inches) use a conical
bullet. Medium twist barrels are designed to shoot both patched
round balls and conical bullets. Round balls may be used in a
muzzleloader with a fast twist with good results. The key is to
reduce the powder charge so the ball does not travel through the
barrel so fast that it strips the rifling and does not take the
twist or rotation. A discussion of other factors in barrel rifling
such as different methods (cut, broach, button, etc.), number,
width and depth of grooves, while important, is beyond the scope
of this discussion.

Dixie ships cannons by truck with shipping charges collect.
While rates will vary, you can approximate your shipping charges
based on the following chart:

Shipping Weight

+

Shipping Miles

=

Shipping Cost

200 lbs.

+

400 Miles

=

$95.00

200 lbs.

+

800 Miles

=

$110.00

200 lbs.

+

1,200 Miles

=

$120.00

400 lbs.

+

400 Miles

=

$95.00

400 lbs.

+

800 Miles

=

$130.00

400 lbs.

+

1,200 Miles

=

$160.00

800 lbs.

+

400 Miles

=

$140.00

800 lbs.

+

800 Miles

=

$200.00

800 lbs.

+

1,200 Miles

=

$240.00

These rates include a residential delivery surcharge.
This charge can be waived by picking the shipment up at the truck
terminal. Certain cannons (with carriages) will require an
additional crating fee.

As long as the customer has not used or altered the merchandise
it can be returned for exchange or refund. Use the Return Form on
the back of your invoice to insure proper handling of the return.

Antique firearms may be returned within five days (in the
condition they were received) for a full refund. On items returned
after the five day inspection period Dixie reserves the right to
refuse to accept the item or to charge a restocking fee.

Dixie has over 5,000 square feet of showroom space open to the
public. The showroom offers the customer the opportunity to
inspect all of the items offered in our catalog. In addition,
there are over 1,000 antique firearms for sale, as well as an
impressive collection of firearms representing over 50 years of
gun collecting. Adjacent to our showroom is the Dixie Old Car
Museum featuring thirty-six restored antique automobiles, farm
engines, related antique automobile accessories and an 1850 log
gunshop complete with vintage tools and equipment. The showroom
and Old Car Museum are open to the public from 8:00 am -- 5:00 pm
(CST) Monday thru Friday, and from 8:00 am -- 12:00 noon on
Saturday. We are closed New Year's Day, Memorial Day, July Fourth,
Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas.